


Conditioned Responses

by Bluefall



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, fucking AIs how do they work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-01 03:01:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11477244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluefall/pseuds/Bluefall
Summary: In which EDI has another question for Shepard, or: a girl and her spaceship, and what happens when said spaceship acquires a sexbot peripheral.





	Conditioned Responses

"Commander Shepard?"

The commander looked up from her model ship and turned first, out of apparent habit, toward the cubby on the wall where EDI's in-room holographic projector had once resided, before correcting herself and directing her eyes toward the room's only remaining camera. "Yes, EDI?"

"I have a question, if you are willing. It is not of critical importance, but as you appear to be engaged in leisure activities, it seemed a reasonable time to approach you."

Shepard leaned back in her chair and twisted it fourteen degrees to more easily face the camera. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

"You have maintained a strict pattern of activity with respect to the Eva platform. When possible, you avoid it. When present, you ignore it. When you wish to converse with me you direct your attention toward one of my cameras or the open air of the _Normandy_ rather than seeking out my… 'new body,' as most of the crew now do. I am curious as to your motivation for this behavior."

After approximately 4.6 seconds of silence, Shepard replied in an even tone, "I watched that platform brutally beat the woman I love nearly to death. My overwhelming instinct whenever I see it is to destroy it with my bare hands. Having a civil conversation with it… let's just say it would require a great deal of restraint on my part, and is completely unnecessary, since it's not actually _you_. So I've made no effort to do so."

"It was my understanding that you and Lt. Cmdr Williams were no longer engaged in a romantic relationship."

"Love is not contingent on reciprocity," said Shepard, her tone still even and deliberate.

"Noted," acknowledged EDI, making an additional resolution to explore that issue further with the commander at a later date and returning to the original topic. "I believe I understand. Your first and strongest association with the Eva platform is an extremely negative one, and you now have a conditioned danger response to it."

"More on the fight side of fight-or-flight, but essentially, yes, it's a Pavlovian thing. Does that… hmn." The right corner of her mouth flexed upward and out several millimeters and her eyelids contracted slightly, an expression Jeff had defined as 'the commander's weird, freakishly friendly version of wry.' Her voice was 81% closer to its natural tone when she finished, "Bother you?"

"I was not perturbed, merely curious. I now regret that I did not voice my curiosity sooner. I will speak to Engineer Adams about productive disposal of the platform."

"I thought you liked having it around? Joker said you were looking forward to taking it planetside."

"I anticipated increasing my utility to the _Normandy_ 's mission by contributing to ground combat with some enthusiasm, and wished to inspect other environments at my own leisure rather than experiencing them primarily through ground crew suit feeds. I have also enjoyed studying the difference in the crew's interactions with me through the platform as compared to through my normal shipboard feeds, and I was curious to observe and interact with unfamiliar organics to see if their responses were similar."

"Oh? What 'differences in interaction' might those be?" asked Shepard, though the slight contraction of her lip muscles suggested she believed she already knew the answer.

Nevertheless, it was not in EDI's programming to fail to respond to a direct inquiry, and she explained, "When interacting with or in the presence of the platform, as opposed to speaking directly via the _Normandy_ 's feeds, crew members are significantly more likely to solicit my opinion, include me in conversation, incorporate culturally-specific signifiers of respect, and in other ways react to me more similarly to the way they would interact with a fellow organic. There have been only two exceptions to this rule."

"Me being one, I assume," said Shepard, a statement EDI calculated at 98.2% likelihood of being rhetorical even before the commander confirmed it by continuing. "Who's the other?"

"Jeff has also behaved in a reversal of the standard pattern. Both of you have treated me in a way essentially consistent with your interactions with other organics since early in your employment with the Illusive Man. However, the Eva platform has elicited avoidance from you, and regular commentary of an objectifying, sexualized nature from Jeff."

"Wait, what?"

EDI often found Shepard's emotions difficult to interpret, even with Jeff's assistance, as her facial expressions and body language frequently fell outside normal patterns appropriate to her culture, or at least those defined within EDI's extensive databanks. Shepard's current expression was particularly confounding, carrying strong primary signifiers for both confusion and anger, and EDI chose her next words with particular care for clarity.

"He makes regular commentary about the theoretical sexual nature and use of the Eva platform, often within what would be normal human hearing of it. His language, posture and linguistic markers are consistent with references to a nonsentient or semisentient object or creature of inferior status, rather than his usual fraternal jesting."

"That's… extremely unlike Joker. And entirely unacceptable." The forceful edge in Shepard's voice suggested anger as the best interpretation of her expression. "I'll talk to him."

"That is not necessary, Commander. As I said, I will arrange for disposal of the platform, making the issue moot. Many of my goals with it can be achieved through other means, others are rendered implausible by new data, and none are worth causing you discomfort."

"Sexism is _never_ a moot issue on my ship," said Shepard sharply. "And when did my comfort become such a priority?" she added, the signifiers for confusion becoming more prominent and a change to her vocal timbre suggesting the possibility of amusement.

"A basic concern for the comfort of all organics — what you might consider 'politeness' — is written into my core programming. Your specific comfort has increased in priority over other concerns incrementally with time."

"… huh," said Shepard.

The commander remained silent for another comparatively long period, this one extending approximately 6.4 seconds, before she said, slowly, "Give me some time to think about it, EDI. I won't complain if you shove the thing in the AI core for the foreseeable future where no one ever has to remember it even exists, but don't scrap the Eva platform just yet."

"I do not understand. The platform causes you unnecessary distress."

"And you find it of interest and use. Which is a priority for _me_. There may yet be a compromise to be found here that's comfortable for us both."

"Understood, Commander. To facilitate your efforts, I will attempt to more specifically identify the advantages I derive from the Eva platform and compile a list of possible alternative methods to achieve them."

Shepard smiled, a near-precise replication of her expression from earlier when inquiring about the crew's treatment of the platform. "Thank you, EDI. Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

EDI considered her curiosity about Shepard's comment on love, but judged the likelihood unacceptably high that discussion of Lt. Cmdr Williams would have a detrimental effect on the commander's current positive mood, and put the question off for another time. "No, Commander," she simply said instead. "Thank you for your time."

"Happy to be of service," said Shepard easily, and rotated her chair back toward her desk to resume work on her model ship.

EDI returned the bulk of her processing power to her functions elsewhere on the ship, noting with idle interest as she did so that Shepard's personal comfort had gained 0.001% in weight in her internal priority algorithms since the conversation began.


End file.
